The Kansas City Chiefs had more good than bad last year, yet still fell short on many levels. They not only failed to get that elusive playoff win, but failed to even reach the playoffs despite crushing the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots and establishing a winning record at 9-7. They also failed to win the AFC West, in large part due to their continued struggles against the rival Broncos. With the majority of their free agency moves complete, it’s time to turn our eyes to the NFL draft, taking place April 30th to May 2nd, and what the Chiefs can do to get over that hump. Continue reading 2015 Chiefs Draft Primer→

I have come to a new understanding of the world of sports. The realization was sudden; its onset caused by the lack of a miracle by my home town team as the Royals lost game 7 of the World Series to the San Francisco Giants while Alex Gordon was just 90 ft away from tying the game. I thought I needed a hero, racing on the thunder and rising with the heat. Yet, there was no Superman to sweep me off my feet this night. Continue reading Holding Out For a Hero→

As the 2014 season kickoff approaches and we wait to see our beloved Chiefs do battle with the Giant Flaming Thumbtacks of Tennessee I can’t help but notice how different this team feels. No, after last year’s preseason we fans were every bit as negative as we are now. What I’m talking about is there was a decent amount of turnover amongst our starters considering we were a playoff team that still needed improvement. Continue reading 2014 Kickoff: Addition Through Neglect?→

With literally hundreds if not thousands of mock drafts behind us performed by people with various levels of qualifications, Thursday night marked the beginning of the for real NFL Draft. Most experts and laypeople alike assumed the Chiefs would take a WR, probably in the 1st round. So, let’s see how things shook out.

Ah, the Pro Bowl. The seldom watched contest where the best players in the world play what in essence is a 7 on 7 drill with QBs and WRs that have no rhythm built together while the linemen are standing around playing patty-cake for 3 hours. The NFL has long known that the Pro Bowl sucks and that’s why they changed it. That’s how we end up with two living legends picking the teams with nothing but their own egos on the line.

The Chiefs having ten (TEN!!!) Pro Bowlers leads to a very strange condition for any Kansas City fan. Is this something to be exquisitely proud of? Even after the team flopped down the stretch and went one and done in the playoffs? Should we be ashamed our favorite team couldn’t do more with all of this widely recognized talent? Are our players overrated? Are we overrated as a team?Continue reading Is Pro Bowl Talent Enough?→

Andy Reid has reached an agreement to become the next coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, according to league sources. The contract is now being reviewed by attorneys and is expected to be finalized Friday.

Reid’s deal comes shortly after the Chiefs and general manager Scott Pioli mutually agreed to part ways after four seasons.

The Chiefs held a meeting with the coaching staff Friday morning, presumably to talk about Kansas City’s job search and ongoing talks with Reid, according to sources.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Friday that the club and General Manager Scott Pioli have mutually agreed to part ways.

“After several productive conversations, we made the difficult decision to part ways with Scott Pioli and allow him to pursue other opportunities,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “Scott has been an invaluable member of the Chiefs family since joining us in 2009, and we sincerely appreciate his tremendous contributions over the last four years.

“I know that this was a difficult decision for Scott as well. He has a great deal of appreciation for the history of this franchise, for our players, coaches and employees, and especially our great fans.

There isn’t much I can add to the discourse amongst my fellow Chiefs fans regarding the events of two weekends ago. I moped all day Saturday and fought back tears in the final seconds of the game Sunday. I do my best to remain stoic and steadfast in the face of tragedy, but my heart is genuinely heavy for Cheryl Shepherd (Belcher’s mother), Scott Pioli, and Romeo Crennel — all eyewitnesses to senseless acts of violence by a seemingly well mannered, hardworking young man in whom all three were deeply vested.

On Sunday night, Bob Costas echoed the sentiments of one of my favorite plagiarists, Jason Whitlock, stating that Belcher’s crime would have been prevented were we a country with stricter gun laws. The reaction online was swift and loud–Costas should get off his soapbox and stick to football. This surely came as no surprise to Costas himself. He’s a smart guy. He owns a globe. He knows where Kansas City is located. Continue reading In Defense of Bob→

Thursday night week four preseason football is bullshit. Those last two quarters require a stupid amount of alcohol to tolerate. I chose to behave like a responsible adult, and thus I watched them while remaining sober enough to drive (highway patrolman standards, not P.J. O’Rourke standards). I don’t know why I ever behave responsibly. It hasn’t gotten me anywhere.

This group of cornerbacks sucks. I know I said I was going to moderate my prejudice this season. I don’t find that statement to be in violation of said moderation. Prejudice implies prejudgment. I’m not prejudging. I’m judging. A bunch of guys whose names I won’t remember in two weeks were giftwrapped an opportunity to dethrone Jalil Brown for the key reserve spot. Not a tall order, by my estimation, but they all came up Muggsy Bogues. Continue reading In Charles We Trust→

Chad Johnson won ten internets today by tweeting about discovering his absence from Madden ’13. Short of his brief stint as kicker in the 2010 preseason, it’s the only likable thing I remember him doing in the last four years or so. Alas, this is not about Chad Johnson. This is about me, phoning it in. Somewhere in the process of packing my shit to move cross country (for those of you that don’t already know, I’m relocating to God’s Etch-A-Sketch, which will be quite convenient in two years when Roger Goodell decides the Chiefs need to be closer to their opponents), I’ve managed to do pretty much nothing else with my life. Not even drink. These have been dark days in my existence.

Thus, I’ll keep my observations brief, as you’ll barely have time to conclude I’m full of shit before tonight’s kickoff, and I don’t want you to miss a second of Matt Cassel checking down because you were busy firing off an angry missive in my direction. Continue reading That Awkward Moment→